I
find the idea of classroom testing very interesting, and I thought Chapter 9
described some really neat ideas for the improvement of foreign language tests.
Testing methods interest me for many different reasons. First because I am
currently a student and I currently take
tests, second because I have been a student ever since I can remember and I remember many different tests, and third
because I want to be a teacher who will be the one to create tests! As a student and a prospective teacher, tests and
exams interest me because they are supposed to serve as ways for students to
show teachers what they know. Tests are not
supposed to give students nervous break-downs, they are not supposed to test material not covered in that specific class,
and the information is not supposed
to be immediately forgotten after the test is over. Although these things are
not supposed to happen, I’m sure we’ve all seen (and/or experienced ourselves)
times when instances like these have occurred.
Thinking back to all of my high
school Spanish tests, they were all boring, grammar-based tests. I did one oral
test when I was a sophomore, but since it took place outside of the classroom
and with the 17-year-old TA, it turned out to be mostly English. Like we read
about in Chapter 9, I think that traditional language tests need to be revamped
to actually test how well students can use the language. If students are
memorizing weird acronyms to help them remember words, or if they’re making up
other mind games to aid with memorization, chances are those students are going
to forget those acronyms and those mind games as soon as they pass in their
tests. If you’re taking human anatomy and need to memorize the names of all of
the bones in the body, or if you’re taking a history class and need to memorize
the dates that all of the Roman emperors served then yes, memorization mind
games might really help you. But if you’re studying a language, I don’t believe that students should feel they need to
memorize tons of material. I believe that if students are receiving enough good,
comprehensible input each class, that knowledge should (for the most part)
allow them to do well on each test. I’ve always been a big believer in the idea
that test material should not come as any surprise to students, and I think
test material should look and be very similar to activities done regularly in
class. In my opinion, language tests should test the material covered in class,
and at the same time allow for students to show any and all of the language that
they know. Like we read in our book, I like the idea of open-ended questions
because they allow students to produce what they know. I know an open-ended
response question in a novice Spanish class might seem a little intimidating,
but it’s the teacher’s job to scaffold the test questions appropriately based
on the level of the class, and to put the students at ease. Obviously you
wouldn’t ask a novice Spanish student to write their opinions on a complex
topic because they simply wouldn’t have enough knowledge to do that. However,
you could have an oral interview with that Spanish learner and, while
maintaining appropriate expectations, ask them simple questions that have been
explained in class (ex. ¿Cuál
clase tiene usted después de esta clase de español? ¿Te la gusta?) and the student
could elaborate or not as they see fit. I think that by using more open-ended
responses (both written and spoken), and more authentic materials (maps,
recipes, stories, etc.) in language tests (and in instruction in general!),
students will learn a lot more of the language, and teachers will be able to
more clearly see what their students know.
Before my first exam in Spanish 503 here
at UNH, I remember asking my professor if the exam was cumulative and she said
language exams are always cumulative, and it’s true! Language learners should
not just be tested on whether or not they can conjugate the verb “comer”
properly in a single-sentence. When it comes time for a test, students should
be encouraged to use and show everything that they hear and see and think in
class to truly show the teacher their level of language proficiency.
I really like your point on "cumulative" tests in Spanish classrooms. I think that this is something that teachers need to remember. Language builds upon itself and every grammatical point or other knowledge is key to becoming closer to comprehending language in full. Students need to understand, however, this theory. If they do not understand that language builds upon itself, students may feel that a test is testing their memory or "random knowledge". Basically, its important for teachers to make students aware that language needs to be built upon.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more. Every day my students ask me if they need to know certain things for the next quiz or exam and I always tell them they need to know it all. I tell them that nothing goes away and I think this is a very important concept when teaching/learning another language. This is why I think that more contextual approaches are important. That way, even if students don't remember every grammar point they have ever learned they can use the context to refresh their memories and figure out what they should be doing.
DeleteI 100% agree with this statement. There should never be exams or quizzes given that are not cumulative. Like I mentioned in my blog post, students would simply just memorize the materials and forget about it. There needs to be repetition of concepts and vocabulary for students to truly remember it all.
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